Submarine operating apparatus.



w. LMCCUTCHEON.

SUBMARINE OPERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MR. 2a, 19m

Patented Apr. 9,1918.

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SUBMAZRINE OPEHATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. Isn.

" 26275 h Patented Aprl 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES SUBIVIARINE OPER!lINGrv APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. y

Patented anr- 9. yune.

Application filed March 23, 1917. SerialNo. 156,956.

To all whom z' may concern.'

Be it known that I, l/ILLIAM L. Mc-

' CUtrcHnoN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Wilkes-Barre, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Submarine Operating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. n

This invention comprehends improvements in submarine operating apparatus and has for its primary object the provision of a device permitting submarine operations at a great depth for the purpose of recovering valuables from sunken vessels and from the bed of the ocean.

Another object of the invention is to provide a submarine opera ting apparatus of the caisson type having a hood or working chamber connected with the surface of the water by a sectional tube, the working chamber andv tube sections being guided in their descent by a central hollow sectional shaft.

Another object of the invention is to generally improve devices of this nature to render them more practical, useful and commercially desirable.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 s a side elevation showing the apparatus in operative position.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional v1ew through the apparatus, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates as an entirety a tubular shaft having hollow sections 2 and 3. The section 8 is closed at its lower end by the conical head a and is fitted at its upper end over the reduced portion 5 of the adjacent section 2. The sections 2 are each formed with a reduced portion 5 to tit telescopically into the next lower section. If desired, any suitable clamping means such as the bolts 6 may be used to secure the shaft sections together. The sections of the shaft are lowered from the boat 7 and each is connected to a cable 8 which winds around a windlass 9.

A funnel shapedl hood generally designated-11 having a conical body-12, a neckl and a vertical tapered wall- 14 provides a working chamber for the operators asthey are recovering the sunken treasures. The neck or tube section 13 formed on the body ofthe hood is connected to a sectional tube 15 which extends upwardly to the surface and which is formed by a plurality of tube sections 16. Each section is formedwith a tongue 17 on one end and ak circumferential groove 18.011 its other end and when the sections are properly joined with each other and connected to the hood they form a water tight inclosure from which water may be pumped through a pipe 19 connected to a suction pump 2O carried by the vessell 7.

To provide for a proper alining of the lowerinost section 16 with the neck 13 and to provide for a proper alining of the various tube sections 16 with each other, I provide in each of these members a pair of arms 21 connected at their outer ends to the sections and having semi-circular heads 22 formed on their inner ends. The heads 22 coperate to form rings equal in diameter to the eX- ternal diameter of the central tubular shaft 2 and being slidably engaged on this shaft guide the tube sections 16 properly into place with each other so as to form a water tight inclosure. A pair of cables 23 is connected to each of the tube sections 16 and to the neck 13. These cables wind on the windlass 9 and are for the purpose of raising and lowering the hood 11 and tube sections 16 from and into operative position.

To permit assembling and disassembling of the apparatus each of the sections 2 and 16 is made in two longitudinal parts connected by tongue and groove joints 24 as shown.

The hood 11 may be made of sutlicient size to entirely inclose a sunken vessel or may be of such size as to rest upon the deck thereof as shown in Fig. 1. After the various parts of the apparatus have been lowered into position, to cause the tapered wall 14 of the hood l1 to sink into the bed of the ocean or into sand on the deck of a vessel, water may be pumped from the interior of the hood and tube 16 by the pump 20. The hood may be made of such size as to entirely envelop a sunken vessel or may be made somewhat smaller to rest on the deck thereof as shown.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that I have provided a very simpleand practical submarine operating apparatus of the caisson type which will prove very useful in operating at a great depth to recover valuables from sunken vessels or from the bed of the ocean.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be clearly understood that I do not wish to be limited to this construction, but may make such changes as will fall within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is l. In an apparatus of the character described, a sectional tubular shaft adapted to be lowered from a vessel, said shaft having its lower end pointed, a hood having a sliding connection with said shaft, and a sec.

tional tube supporting said hood, each section of the tube having `a sliding connection with the shaft. Y f

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a tubular shaft formed in sections, the lower section thereof being closed at its lower end by a pointed head, means for raising and lowering said sections, a hood hav- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ing a tapered vertical wall adapted to sink into the bed of an ocean, a deck on said hood, a sliding connection between said shaft yand neck, a sectional tube connecting with the neck, each tube section having a sliding connection with the shaft and means for raising and lowering each tube section and said hood.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a hollow sectional shaft, said shafts telescoping into each other, means for raising and loweringV each vof the shaft sections,

al funnel shaped hood having a conical body c portion, a tapered vertical wall depending from the lower edge of said body portion and a neck; a sectional tube, a pair of spiders in each ofv the tube sections havingA their hub portions of such size as to receive the central shaft whereby the sections are guidedy in their descent, arms formed in the neckv of the hood and slidably engaging with the central shaft, means for raising and lowering the tube sections and the hood and means for pumping water from the interior of the hood and tube.

In testimony whereof I a'HiX my signature.

WILLIAM LEONARD MCCUTCHEON.

five cents eachL by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

